The present invention is directed to the preparation and termination of insulated conductors. More specifically, the present invention is directed to the simultaneous trimming, stripping and terminating of an insulated conductor for association with a circuit board.
The preparation and termination of insulated conductors for employment with a circuit board has generally been carried out by an exacting, multi-step process requiring substantial operator skill and time. This demanding process when applied to a large number of connections in any given electronic system becomes expensive and may have a substantial probability of termination failure.
Certain systems have been developed for reduciing the complexity and increasing the reliability of such terminations. The systems have generally required a complicated mechanism to take the place of assembly steps. One such system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,012,219. See also U.S. Pat. No. 3,916,733 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 442,580, filed Feb. 14, 1974. However, none of these systems is capable of providing the functions of cutting an insulated conductor to length, stripping a portion of the insulation from the conductor and placing the prepared conductor into the terminating device preparatory to termination. Thus, even though substantial savings can be made through the use of certain presently known automated processes for preparing and terminating wires, a simple and easily operated system for performing all three functions of trimming, stripping and terminating an insulated conductor has not heretofore existed.